At the risk of spoiling Xolos’ fun from last week’s historic 6-2 win over Puebla, the team still has an enormous amount of work to do. With little
At the risk of spoiling Xolos’ fun from last week’s historic 6-2 win over Puebla, the team still has an enormous amount of work to do.
With little time to celebrate the one-sided victory, manager Miguel Herrera and his roster will be heading to Guadalajara this afternoon for Saturday’s match against Chivas. Despite the fact that Los Rojiblancos will be without the suspended Jose Juan Vazquez and Jair Pereira, the Guadalajara side still has enough depth to frustrate Tijuana.
Attacking-wise, Xolos will need to be at their very best against a Chivas squad that has recently done well defensively. Goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota has been vital for Los Rojiblancos and made an impressive total of 12 saves during last week’s 2-2 draw against Monterrey — a draw which also saw Chivas go down to nine men.
Looking at Xolos’ backline, Herrera will need to find a way to shutdown a Chivas attack that features noteworthy names like Alan Pulido, Javier Eduardo Lopez and newcomer Rodolfo Pizarro.
On Saturday night, Tijuana’s defense might struggle against the Chivas stars who will be eager to gain another win at home, and some of which who will be hungry to gain revenge on Xolos.
In their previous clash last season, Tijuana strolled past Los Rojiblancos with a convincing 4-0 win in the Estadio Caliente. Now, with a new face like Pizarro in his roster, Chivas manager Matias Almeyda will have a golden opportunity to sneak a couple of goals past a team that is now without Dayro Moreno, Gabriel Hauche and Federico Vilar.
On paper, Los Rojiblancos have the upper-hand with a home field advantage and a stronger roster. However, following last week’s 10-year anniversary festivities that included the six goals over Puebla, Xolos will be racing into this weekend’s match with plenty of confidence.
Predicted score: Chivas 2-2 Xolos
Tijuana player to keep an eye on: Paul Arriola
Minutes after giving Puebla a penalty kick last week, Arriola immediately responded with an assist and long-range golazo for Xolos. To see a 21-year-old winger bounce back that quickly was highly impressive, especially when you consider that he didn’t receive a single start last season.
Be sure to follow the agile American who will be covering the entire length of the right flank. Following his performance from last week, he might be more daring with his shots and runs against Chivas.
Predicted Xolos starting XI:
